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First few trips including motorway, city, minor roads, farm tracks, unmade lanes, snow and ice! Collected my 23 plate XV SE Premium a few weeks ago and immediately treated it to a new set of Continental All Season Contact 2. First impressions? Road holding is superb in a variety of conditions. Living in very rural mid Wales, have been able to test on muddy roads, very wet roads, through some floods, we even had two days of snow up to about 3 inches on the roads, then rutted farm tracks with frozen snow and broken ice. So far, all I can say is wow. My old car was a battered 2013 4wd Duster with full mud and snow off road tyres and that could cope with most conditions admirably. However, the XV was happy in all conditions so far with no complaints, plus it's a heck of a lot more comfortable than the old war horse! I had read about the CVT taking a bit of getting used to, the adaptive cruise being a pain, the safety stuff being a bit too safe, the acceleration being poor, the engine noisy, the infotainment system being glitchy, the music system being poor as well as many other complaints (mainly from motoring journalists). All I can say is that my initial experience is this:- The CVT is pretty smooth and Subaru have done a good job of making it feel like a conventional auto. Adaptive cruise is extremely controllable, all the way to standstill and pulling away again. Safety is superb, love the little lights on the mirrors letting you know something is alongside, the fast flash when someone is coming up fast or a pedestrian is walking behind you in a car park. The front view camera is superb when parking, as is the rear parking assist camera. Acceleration is smooth and steady, not the quickest, but that doesn't bother me. I'm not trying to win the RAC. The engine noise is acceptable, certainly not excessive on acceleration. No glitches with the Infotainment system so far, got a decent USB cable and the set up is easy and quick, Android Auto works well, the built in navigation is quick and easy to update to current maps, system is easily customisable, intuitive and the touch screen easy to navigate. Google Voice commands work well. DAB is decent with seamless transitions between digital and FM, essential round here as signal is sketchy. How loud do motoring journalists want their music systems? Up into the low 20's on the control and the music is loud and crisp with no distortion. Sat at around 15 is plenty loud enough for normal listening. Air con is fantastic, heated seats perfect, space great, boot is compact but sufficient, seats are comfortable, handling is out of this world for a high ground clearance car, all the toys work well, Eyesight system is superb. Fuel economy is around 40mpg so far, EV system around London was excellent this weekend and the thing I love the most is that I've only seen two other XV's so far! Cool Marque with a nice bit of exclusivity. Granted these are pretty early days, but so far very impressed and pleased with my purchase and looking forward to many happy miles in the Scooby. Off to Europe next week, so let's see how we handle autoroutes and cobbles!

Glad you like it, you missed out the best bit, heated seats, XV is the first car i've had thats had them hahaha

Hello and happy to say I pick up my new to me 3 year old Outback next week. Have done a fair bit of research since we decided to buy it. At the moment considering the benefits of putting all season tyres on it and advice on the best options would be great. We live in Scotland and had several 4X4 over the years but the outback will be our first car with 4 wheel drive. Thanks Dave

Sad thing is it really shows how bad subaru UK is/was when info like this shows up.

She has finally arrived from Singapore now 😎 2.0 GT-S with 48,500kms on the clock

Hurrah! The PIN Code from the dealer worked and the alarm / immobiliser was disabled. The problem with the alarm going off does persist however, if I re-arm the system. I think I will just use the key for a while and get used to that.. The other good news is that with the car starting again, I was able to drive to my local garage where she passed her MOT without a single advisory this morning! Thanks to Dales Automotive in Barnoldswick for supplying the code 🙂 I might update the thread if I can get to the bottom of this alarm problem...

Thanks for the info! I've sieved the document pack to no avail, and so have approached my local Subaru garage to request a PIN, using my V5 and photo ID to verify my ownership. Of course, there is still that thorny issue of what to do with the PIN when it arrives! I had a (very expensive!) autoelectrician look at the car this afternoon - he got as far as diagnosing that the 'Integrated Unit Module showed no communication with ECU intermittently' before my time ran out - and he departed to another job. Nice work if you can get it! The car is still doing the thing, locking using the key fob (sometimes not) but not unlocking remotely. When the key goes into the ignition and is turned, the alarm kicks in and the immobiliser does it's thing, so the car won't start. Very frustrating! It feels like it must be something simple! But with my luck it is probably something terminal instead! 😞 I'm off to London tomorrow, so no more updates till Weds, but maybe, just maybe, the PIN thing will move us forward... Watch this space 🙂

Do you have a keypad inside the little flap by drivers' right knee which gives access to the interior fuse box? If so it's likely an OEM (Thatcham?) fitting. If so do you know the 4 or 5 digit PIN and if so does inputting the code make any difference?

Hi pete. U still got ghe forestets. I. From longbenton. Just recently got an auto

my usual go to is importcarparts, could try there. Yeah its a fairly quiet forum, like most nowadays in truth. Still active, people pop in and out :)

Hi chaps after abit of help I’ve run out of things to try and I’m at my wits end 😂 so ill keep it short. my issue is hunting at idle and will sometimes stall , boost gauge also goes into negative when it’s hunting, I’ve replaced the manifold, all lines vac etc, pcv, idle control valve and MAF sensor, still the issue persists, today I cleaned the fuel pump filter in the tank it was pretty blocked to be fair, still the same, was told it’s a walboro 255 fuel pump but I’m not sure if anyone can confirm from piccy ? also tuck plugs out and they are black not wet but black and they where brand new. Maybe my issue is fuel related I’ve done some research and my regulator reads nearly 3 bar on tickover with vac line connected, this seems high to me ? anyway I’ve gone on abit if anyone’s got any advice pointers etc please let me know regards Lee

Yeah the first one just tried to scam you, unless there was some other reason they said it needs a new gearbox. Could be idle control valve or possibly battery/alternator related, sounds daft, but on our XV when the battery was really low it kept stalling when loaded up by the power steering or dropping to idle.

Regarding the possible cause(s), I'd suggest you also post your issue on here, as they have a much wider experience of Subarus and OBs. https://www.subaruoutback.org/ Hope you get it sorted.

Hi , Harrogate roughly 1 hour 20 mins from us as we live close to Great Ayton in N Yorks but thanks anyway for information. We didn't get Free servicing but we paid £300 for three services we also got free mats and a full tank of fuel which I believe you normally pay for 👍, I suppose all subaru dealers are different depending on the sale. I've read that the lanoguard needs replacing every two years and it's a clear solution, it will be interesting how much I get quoted and how it compares to yours, congratulations on your 66 years young I only mentioned the "old git " as my darling wife of 36 years uses the term quite often especially since I retired 🙂 We intend to make this our last New car as my wife is taking early retirement in December 2026 so intend to do all I can to make it last , rust prevention, early oil changes etc, I too had Several Skodas, 2 early rapides in the early days of penniless marriage and my final one when we had some cash the Octavia Vrs which I absolutely adored, happy days gone by 🙂👍 Safe motoring and happy Xmas to you and your family 🎅🎅

Welcome to sods law. It knew, i'm telling you it knew!!!!! lol At least no big bill for now I'd keep an eye on your oil level by checking it regularly just in case the sensor is on the way out and that nothing funky is going on

Have you tired the usual importcarparts?

not sure why you should have issues finding one, they are just a typical car battery? have a look on https://www.yuasa.co.uk/ should be able to search for either make/model/engine or by reg number

Hi, I have just bought a 2001 JDM Impreza WRX STI

I've just changed from a 2020 Generation 5 Outback to a 2025 Generation 6, and I've noticed the very same thing, so it's not just your car. I'm going to have to see if I can get used to this in practice for a bit, but yes, I used to like the 'soft click', 3 or 4 indications, for lane changes which corrected itself off.

I've been using Continental All Season Contact, and Goodyear vector all seasons on my Outback and Levorg for the last few years, also in rural Wales, and they've been faultless, especially in slimy wet conditions. Highly recommended.

+1 to that ... 3.0 EZ30D was a subaru gem, shame they didn't put it in the foresters (does fit fairly easily). Biggest disappointment was lack of nice manual gearbox option . Very versatile vehicle which could do a lot and they were cheap on the used market for a pretty solid reliable wagon, if they had some waxoil rust treatment in early years they last real well as mechanically and electronically the parts were proper quality manufacture unlike the 5h1te you buying new today .

Bought a Field, not brand new but no regrets. Really nice car to drive did think about the premium however being a Scotsman didn't fancy the high road tax, but there again the memory seats would have been nice. Looking forward to lots of snow ❄️

What I do in these scenarios is first try knock on a 13mm, if that no go try some grip/rounded fastener sockets & if that still no go mig weld a nut to the plug head and semi gently air impact it out . If you got decent quality vise grip pliers you might do it with them but it likely chew it up real bad leaving it only suitable for welding nut on .

Hey folks, hope it's okay to jump on and post here. Long time Subaru owner and all round fan, but sadly it's time to let my lovely Levorg STi go to a new home. I have listed the car on Piston Heads but will include the details here. Please reach out if you have any questions or are interested. --- This Levorg STi was imported on my behalf by Torque GT around 3 years ago. I have loved every second of ownership and unfortunately personal circumstances force a reluctant sale. It has carried me through a pretty tumultuous time in my life! Having previously owned an imported Legacy GT, I knew I wanted something of similar performance with a few more comforts. The Levorg STi delivered. To me this has been a modern, fairly luxurious car, whilst still turning heads and getting a few smiles from the missus out of twisty lanes. The car has just had a service in preparation for its next owner, and some small paint smart repairs alongside a polish. MOT until October. This is a very honest car. It had Michelin Cross Climates put on it last year and they still have plenty of tread, paired with the 300hp this puts out you're guaranteed to have a little fun. Packed tonne of features (and especially the Subaru Eyesight system which is fantastic), some I may forget to list: - Full red leather interior with electric moving front seats - Heated seats - Power folding mirrors - Blindspot detection in the mirrors - Automatic headlights, with automatic high-beam/dipping - Rain sensors and automatic wipers - Adaptive cruise control - Lane assist (a personal favourite) - Lane exit detection and warning - Dual climate control - Parking sensors and reverse camera - Keyless entry Get in touch via SMS or WhatsApp please 07827019317.

I recently spoke to a member of the sales staff at a UK Subaru dealership who informed me that as of the end of this year there will be no more new Subaru Outbacks (petrol) sold in the UK. There will be an electric option (yeah, well yipppeeee :( ). Don't you just adore the Great Global Climate Catastrophe Hoax supporters and their desperate ideological attempts to completely donald duck the whole car industry and empty fun and choice out of everyone'a lives . Now I'm not sure if I should try and time it so I buy one of the last ones, or just buy a Toyota Land cruiser (not the recent model!). Can't seem to see much else on the market that has above average car ground clearance, and permanent 4x4 functionality.

Much appreciate your opinion and insights Judd.

Its a 150 and nice one too without too many bells and whistles, personally i prefer cloth to leather. A 200 would have the V8 Diesel (the petrols listed are gery imports)and would typically be priced around that figure at 12 years old with 130k on the clock, lovely motor but for goodness sake. The one you've listed it would be interesting to know why its had 2 owners, might have been a demo, sometimes even the change of personal plate can come up as an ownership change, it looks in very good condition and unless something other than 2 owners is a cause for concern it would be one i'd be looking at, seems reasonably priced but there should be some room for wriggle in a private sale, in many ways i prefer a private sale because you get to see the previous owner and judge for yourself what the car has been through. After 2020 (from memory) they did various modifications to the engine, as you can see from one of the dash pics its got a manual DPF regen button which earlier models didn't get, though it shouldn't be needed because they've pretty well sorted earlier DPF issues by then, later ones like that 2022 model they've ironed out all the quirks. Remember the first place you go when looking at any LC underneath, that one looks clean enough to eat your dinner off any surface, it might be worth asking the seller if he'll take some random pics from underneath to send to you. 3ish years old, keep it serviced at Toyota you've got another 6 or 7 years makers warranty on all the important bits. Get your overalls on and get rustproofing you could have this or similar for umpteen years with only regular servicing and friction materials/tyre replacement (tyres are big and usually last between 40 and 50k) and when you decide to sell on LC enthusiasts will be beating a path to your door if its a genuine rust free example, the very high spec models tend to come with rear air suspension, which is great while it works but with the height sensors underneath unless you keep them protected can fail expensively,also the air pump isn't cheap, many high spec vehicles are retro fitted with steel springs and appropriate shocks via a kit as they age.

I have a 20 year old (prado sized) Landcruiser 120 LC5, been running full size Toyota 4x4s since the mid 90s and have yet to be let down by one, alternator packed up on the present steed a few years ago but she still never failed to proceed and i stuck a recon on for £126 ish, it'll probably still be going when they plant me. Underbody mainly chassis corrosion is what kills them in Britain, especially if they've previously lived in Scotland, mine is still mainly rust free because i plaster the undersides in ACF50/chain lube/marine grease every year, filthy job but worth doing, looking at MOT histories of other 120s and the very similar later 150s underbody corrosion features too often on the usual stuff, inner sills are also exposed to the elements and the rear axle casing will rot too, rear aircon pipes are alloy which again corrodes and is an expensive re-piping exercise, ask me how i know this. If you decide to get a late 150 series suggest you check it very carefully underneath and start rustproofing the day you get it home, other than rust they are good vehicles which seldom cause any issues if the servicing is kept up, seriously expensive used now and only going one way, the prices being asked for the V8 engined 200 series can only be described as ludicrous and whilst its a great vehicle its very technical too and also suffers the underbody tin worm issues which also affects the pipework of the hydraulic suspension which can cost serious money to repair, again mucho greasing and oiling is called for. Servicing is simple enough for most things DIY, but remember Toyota warranty is topped up every year if you get it serviced by them up to 10 years of age. I'm on both the UK Landcruiser forums, both of which are quiet because rarely do these vehicles go wrong, most common faults will be on the forums if you care to have a poke nose. Probably like yourself i'm not having a battery car, not in the least interested, good luck to all those who can take advantage of the tax breaks and cheap overnight home charging, i don't blame you one bit the cynic in me wonders how many would be in use if BIK tax rates were same as ICE cars and fuel duties were added to electricity charges, just wish the battery enthusiasts weren't quite so smug about it all. Course if you've got the money it makes good sense to grab one of the last proper Outbacks, then enjoy sticking two fingers up to the battery car scam and all its profiteers and political gamers for many years to come.

Re introducing myself to forum members forgot all my details until today when they flagged when I tried to rejoin (what a pi770ck)

Finally, I've managed to fix the mobile not connecting issue. It turns out that the upper USB port had been abused by the previous owner so it didn't hold the cable succurely resulting in the map app on the phone disconnecting all the time. Fixed it with a good quality USB A to C cable and using the unused lower USB socket (under the display unit) instead.

thank you

As long as you arnt ripping off members its all good 🙂

Morning, thanks for your feedback. When I get an opportunity, I'll investigate both options. The noise from the glove box occurs full or empty (mind you I do find the size of the glove box quite small compared to the previous model and other cars!) Cheers, Allan

I can't comment on a Levorg as haven't been in one but as for the dealer network and support from Subaru towards their product, my experience has been that Subaru in the UK is almost non-existent. Examples impacting me are closures recently of my two nearest dealers (Woodford and Maidstone) so there are none in Kent and only Robertsbridge in Sussex should I need them (rarely, prefer to do my own work where possible). Others experience may vary.

Many thanks Mr B. While I have the shocks off I will do corrosion management as per your post from 2016!;

I had a Legacy BP5 but sold that last year, ended going for a STI hatch but feel like I should have gone for one of these! Do miss the space

Got it to Pass today while it was hot. Thanks

Sold now - hope you had a great journey home!

Aftermarket quality in suspension parts is a major concern . It also a major safety factor and impacts driving/performing quality of vehicle . ICP aftermarket part quality is a bit hit and miss as they not as fussy as use to be and the aftermarket manufacturing quality is down the toilet these days even on previous well rated major car part brands . So if buying from ICP you wise call them and ask what brand/manufacturer the part is rather than assuming it good . What I do on these if the original arm is not seriously rusted is fit new bushes and new genuine subaru ball joint too. We get the original balljoints for example for about 16 quid so it not worth buying aftermarket to save few quid on a part that serious safety component and needs be proper quality have half a chance of decent service life . For complete arm you could look at ACKOJA, they made in Korea by OEM's for car parts so quality not the worst . MOOG is another option for suspension parts that not the worst . We have to deal with this poor quality part concern every day and aftermarket part quality is the biggest problem we face today, takes lot of knowledge and time keep on top of what good/bad and price effective, you also always getting customers wondering why part bill what it is when they could of got it off eBay or Amazon for 3rd of the cost lol . Lot of the cheap parts are trash straight out the box and either don't fit, fit/function poorly or pretty much failed in 12 to 18 months ... Buy wisely and refurbish original parts when possible .

The pin number comes from the factory on small silver sticker labels - they could still be in your handbook wallet - mine are stapled to a form called "Subaru UK Certificate of Compliance" I found mine in the Alarm System Operating Instructions booklet. - worth a quick look.

Nice little lane mate, lovely to see Forester's out and about 👍

On a similar theme, I was in my local Subaru dealer this morning and saw a new sign encouraging me to update my details on the Subaru website so I would always receive special offers, latest news etc. I scanned the QR code on the sign only to find it sent me to the same “Sorry - page no longer exists”……..

My only experience of driving an e-boxer forester was two years ago as a courtesy car while my OB was being serviced. The Forester had less than 200 miles on the clock and it was the black 'sports' (?) version. First impressions (sitting in it) was that it seemed very comfortable and light. However, driving it was not pleasant. It was really slow, tank like, when accelerating from junctions and when pulling away at roundabouts when you wanted to join the flow of traffic. Noticeable slower than the OB. The member of staff I spoke to afterwards also agreed that they found the OB a much more pleasant drive. The stats state: Forester 0 - 62 11.8 secs Outback 0 - 62 10.8 secs. Neither are speedy cars of course, but the Forester was a sloth - that 1 sec difference was marked. Having said that, you do see them out and about so perhaps their owners are very content. Another negative, for me, is that the mpg for the OB is 32.8 while for the Forester it's still just 34.7 mpg. Hardly a great saving. Must be those heavy batteries. Plus you have a smaller fuel tank (48 litres vs 63 litres) in the Forester due to the batteries, so you get hardly much better mpg and you have a much reduced range. So if you're prepared to go slower and have to fill up more often on longer journeys...! Another big negative for me, is that you can't fit a spare wheel in the Forester (again because of the batteries). No car can pretend to offer aspirations of off-road capabilities if a spare isn't available. Overall I think the Forester looks the biz, but unless they offer a none hybrid and also either at least a 2.5 litre engine, or a turbo option, it's not for me. It'll be interesting to see how you find the Forester after the legacy for driving experience.

They also got me this Cross Sport type S I’m currently driving 🤣🤣 Still got the little white beast too but looks different since I last posted

Thanks all for your input - sorry to hear about your issues @Justin Time - will keep a close eye on brake issues after this! and thanks @Hippo for the vote of confidence So I pulled the trigger on a low milage 2021 gen 5 which I picked up last week - I have to say I am absolutely loving it, and feel that I have absolutely made the right choice stepping into the Subaru club….after a week of driving even more perplexed by how much they get such middling reviews in the press….I’m not used to driving particularly fast cars, but it certainly feels more than punchy enough…it doesn’t particularly feel much slower in the real world than my wife’s xc40 which does 0-60 in sub-8.0 seconds.. aside from that great comfort, ridiculous amounts of space, and imo great sharp handling for such a big car (came with Michelin cross climates which might help) one happy buyer here!

Helensburgh Toyota no longer have the Subaru franchise and no longer does warranty work for Subaru.

Corrosion is number one thing look out for on these, surface rust is going be the norm and that can be surface treated, heavy corrosion can get quite expensive and if it not localised rust you be chasing you tail for no long term benefit . Also don't think newer means better, late 90's to 2002 era about some of best made . Do good checks using MOT history and good visual inspection and that means a real good long look and poke around underneath, rust doesn't always show itself but steel can be rotted and collapse under physical inspection . Is fairly easy find these pretty clean and not many keen on larger engines so prices can be low/easy haggle . I would be more sceptical of dealer sales than private and that comes from 30 years trade experience lol, 99% of the good stuff comes private sales, biggest ballache and pork pies always dealers .

M30 alarm document link > https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7Ub2apq5-pfcjJhSm5XUHNyUzQ/view?usp=sharing